If you’re going to be part of a wedding soon — yourself or someone else’s — then you’ll enjoy these ten artistic wedding invitation ideas! Elegant and refined, they’ll flex your creative muscle. No one will guess that they were budget-friendly or DIY!Continue reading…

I recently found myself chatting with someone who is considering making DIY wedding invitations for her daughter’s wedding. As we talked, I found myself writing down articles for her to read on the TPK website. I gave her many scrambled tips that probably left her feeling more confused than empowered! That’s when I realized: I don’t have a blog post that breaks down DIY wedding invitations into the do-able endeavor that they are. That changes today! In this article, you’ll learn the process for making your own professional-looking invitations.Continue reading…

Today’s tutorial isn’t for the faint of heart — but I promise that you can do it! An illustrated watercolor map usually takes a couple of days to make, and it requires some artistic judgment calls. Still: the creation process is so enjoyable, and the unique results justify any time and effort spent to make it.Continue reading…

Faux calligraphy — calligraphy created with any standard writing instrument like a ballpoint pen, chalk, or marker — offers a fantastic introduction to dip pen calligraphy! Additionally, faux calligraphy is a beautiful lettering art form in its own right. In the first half of this blog post, I’ll teach you how to create this fun, accessible form of calligraphy. In the second half, you’ll find inspiration for using it to add beauty to everything from chalkboards to mail art!Continue reading…

The other day, I was making calligraphy place cards for one of my calligraphy workshops. I was “in the zone”, enjoying listening to a podcast and writing, when I realized: I don’t have any information about making basic place cards on the TPK blog! Today’s tutorial should fix that. It will walk you through creating elegant calligraphy place cards from start to finish!Continue reading…

There’s so much to love about fabric invitations: they’re novel, interactive, and incredibly cost-effective if you DIY them! In today’s blog post, I want to walk you through a batch of fabric invitations that I recently designed as a gift for a friend’s wedding. It is my hope that seeing the process will inspire you to design and compile your own fabric/paper pieces for your next event!Continue reading…

When I received my first wedding invitation commission a few years ago, I found myself scouring the internet for techniques to ensure that it was perfect. One element I was consistently drawn to in other wedding invitations — and dually proposed to the client — was paper belly bands! Not only did they look incredibly elegant, but it also seemed like they wouldn’t be too tough to make. That assessment, happily, was correct: belly bands are not difficult to make at all, they can elevate your paper project endeavors to incredible heights, and you can use them for many different applications! In today’s blog post, we’ll go through three quick paper belly band tutorials to add a little somethin’ somethin’ to a variety of different projects.Continue reading…

There is one fundamental truth about learning calligraphy. That truth is this: at some time, you will find yourself addressing envelopes for an event. The occasion may be your wedding, a friend or family member’s birthday party, or a random acquaintance’s bat mitzvah. When people find out you can create calligraphy, they’ll want you to help them out for weddings, parties, and more — and I hope you’ll oblige because it’s great practice!Continue reading…

As much as I adore letterpress invitations, I think I may love fabric wedding invitations more. There’s a certain magic to combining fabric, stitching, and paper; and when you add pretty calligraphy and/or illustration to the mix — watch out world! Plus, DIY fabric invitations are very reasonably priced. They’re so cheap {yet sophisticated-looking}, that you might consider using them for your next party in general … even if it’s just a pizza and beer affair. Just make sure you’ve got a couple of weeks to wait for the custom fabric!Continue reading…

Sometimes it’s refreshing to switch up calligraphy-centric posts with posts that focus on illustration. That said, the botanical watercolor wreaths I’ll be showing you today can be paired with calligraphy for a breath-taking presentation! And, really, you don’t need to relegate yourself to watercolor. If you’re more comfortable using another medium {colored pens, colored pencils, markers, acrylic paint, whatever}, then go for it! These wreaths are impressive no matter what you use to make them.Continue reading…

Welcome to The Postman’s Knock

I'm Lindsey Bugbee

designer + illustrator + calligrapher

The Postman's Knock is a blog focused on teaching creative techniques and offering guides to learning modern calligraphy and illustration. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it!